The Cardinals’ offseason checklist starts on the mound, and it’s not subtle. St.
Louis needs pitching help in multiple places, with both the rotation and the bullpen in play. Even if the organization treats 2026 as another rebuild season, the logic stays the same: add veteran arms, deepen the staff, and keep moving the reset forward.
That was the formula last winter, when the club brought in several relievers and Dustin May, and it makes sense again now.
With October baseball underway, there’s also a built-in scouting trip for the Cardinals. Four impending free agents are still alive in the postseason, and all four have traits that should put them on the team’s radar.
Kris Bubic is the most obvious starting-pitching name in the group. He was an All-Star and turned in a 2.55 ERA last season over 20 starts with the Kansas City Royals.
Injuries derailed his 2025 campaign, though, and he ended up appearing in just 14 regular-season games - nine for Kansas City and five for the Dodgers. Los Angeles has used him out of the bullpen, but the Cardinals would be looking at him with a starter’s role in mind.
Steven Newcomb brings a different kind of value. He’s worked both as a starter and a reliever, and this year he logged 60 regular-season appearances for the White Sox, including six starts.
In all, he posted a 3.09 ERA across 90 1/3 innings. For St.
Louis, the appeal is pretty clear: a multi-inning bullpen piece who can also make a spot start if needed.
Dustin May is already a familiar face. He gave the Cardinals solid work in the rotation, and with a mutual option for the 2027 season that is almost certainly going to be declined, he’s expected to hit free agency.
St. Louis has already seen what he can do there, which makes a reunion an easy idea to understand.
Then there’s Génesis Romero, another arm the Cardinals know well. He was excellent in St.
Louis before being packaged with May in the trade that sent both pitchers to Milwaukee. The Cardinals came out ahead in that deal, but the bullpen still needs help, and Romero would bring exactly what they’re lacking from the left side.
In Other News...
Dodgers Draw Fresh National Criticism Over What Fueled Their Postseason Run
The Dodgers keep finding themselves at the center of national debate whenever October rolls around, and this latest round came after MLB Network analyst Rob Parker labeled them the "Luckiest of All Time" for the way their postseason run has unfolded. His case centered on the idea that the biggest names did not always deliver in the most obvious clutch spots, even as Los Angeles kept advancing and turning key moments into wins.
Still, the broader picture is harder to reduce to luck alone. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts have both helped shape the teams playoff identity, and the Dodgers have also leaned on contributions from players outside the star spotlight to keep their run going. The pushback to Parker's take is equally straightforward: whatever label fits the debate, Los Angeles has continued to pair deep rosters with repeated championships, which is usually a difficult thing to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Set NLCS Pitching Plan With One Big Bet Up Front
The Dodgers have set their National League Championship Series pitching plan against the Brewers, and it begins with an aggressive opening move. Tarik Skubal gets the Game 1 assignment, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto lined up for Game 2 as Los Angeles maps out the series around rest and recovery.
Dave Roberts said the rotation is built with the calendar in mind, and Yamamotos usage stands out as the biggest variable in the plan. The Dodgers are leaving open the possibility of having him available again later in the series, including a potential start in Game 6, which gives Los Angeles some flexibility if the matchup stretches deep into the week. [Read more 🡒]
Edwin Dazs Dodgers Turnaround Has An Unexpected Reason Behind It
Edwin Dazs sharp postseason run for the Dodgers has drawn plenty of attention, but the turnaround apparently traces back to an unlikely source. Veteran utility man Kik Hernndez said minor league catcher Chadwick Tromp spotted a mechanical issue in Dazs delivery, and once it was addressed, the right-handers command and velocity both began to tick in the right direction. For a pitcher returning from injury and working his way through a rehab assignment, those kinds of fixes can mean the difference between merely getting back on the mound and looking like himself again.
Dave Roberts has pointed to Dazs recent success as the justification for bringing him in, and that logic is starting to look better by the day. The Dodgers needed a late-inning arm who could handle postseason pressure, and Daz has given them exactly that after a reset that came from a quiet conversation in the organization. It is the sort of detail teams love when it works, a small mechanical tweak leading to a much bigger October payoff. [Read more 🡒]